About
Actor, presenter, documentary maker, former Chief Scout and one time Blue Peter man.
Peter has a TV, film and theatre career that spans four decades. A self confessed adventurer he is never happier than when in the thick of it such as competing live in Tumble on prime time TV or walking the tightrope in his one man show.
He is perhaps best known for his daredevil approach to life when he first joined the Blue Peter team in 1980. He wore his action man label easily, running in the first London Marathon in just over three hours (his last one in 2021 was much slower).
He fought a sumo wrestler in Japan, cleaned the clock face of Big Ben and wore his green and white check suit whenever he could.
In 1985 he went on to make Duncan Dares, a series that played on his adventurous image with stunts such driving across the Irish Sea in a VW Beetle, acting as James Bond’s stuntman and walking on fire.
In 2001 he produced a six part series called Travel Bug for CBBC in which he, his partner Annie and their four children backpacked their way around the world. In the two follow up series their adventure travels were seen in Chinese Breakaway and Arthur’s trip to India. Other recent TV credits include the 26 part slapstick comedy series Demolition Dad for Five and Channel 4’s The Games and Celebrity Total Wipeout (losing the final by just one second).
Peter began his career on stage joining Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre and spent the 70’s working exclusively as actor. He became a well known face on TV where his work included Play for Today, Sons and Lovers, Renoir My Father, Warship, Fathers and Families, Sam, Fallen Hero, Survivors, King Cinder, Oranges and Lemons, The Flockton Flyer and Space 1999. His feature film credits include Stardust, Quilp, The Lifetaker and a famous cameo in Flash Gordon when was he killed by a tree monster.
After his Blue Peter days he began to appear in musical theatre roles such as Barnum, Bill Snibson in Me and my Girl and as Charlie Chaplin in The Little Tramp. In 1995 he was nominated for an Olivier award as Best Actor in a musical playing Denry Machin in The Card. His more recent theatre work includes Alan Ayckbourn‘s Things we do for love, Stan Laurel in a production of Laurel and Hardy and in a season at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park playing Macduff in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Fantastic Mr Fox. 
In 2013 he took on the role of Charlie Peace, the Victorian criminal at Nottingham Playhouse and this year has been touring in Birdsong playing Jack Firebrace.
Peter has had a long association with Pantomime, following in his parent’s footstpes and has written, cast and directed Oxford Playhouse Christmas show for many years. He usually appears in panto too playing the hero, the funnyman or even the baddie.
He is currently Children’s Art Champion for Action for Children’s Arts and is a patron of Youth Music Theatre and Neighbourhood Midwives. He possesses a Gold Blue Peter badge awarded for his volunteer work as leader of the UK’s half a million scouts.